TAMSYA formerly known as TAMSA is the merely unique independent Muslim students and youth association in Tanzania, for all learning institutions from kindergarten level up to university level, covering any other tertiary learning institutions like those cater special career, skills or training such as VETA and alike. Qur’anic and religious schools or madrasa are also branches of TAMSYA as per TAMSYA charter (art.8.1). TAMSYA has got its legal charter or registration from the government with registration number S.A.17021 under the ministry of home affairs on 13th August 2010 as only official recognized Muslim student’s organization in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar by the law. The call of TAMSYA is in Qur’anic verse “and let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful” (Quran 3:104)

SHORT HISTORY OF TAMSYA:

The origin of TAMSYA can be traced back on colonial Tanganyika period where during both Germany and British rule, education to the Tanganyikan was provided by mostly Christian Missionaries with very few government schools which mostly taught admitted many whites and few Asian and some of African chiefs Missionary schools were dominated by Christian culture such as leading prayers in the morning before entering the class, taking care of pigs and pig-curriculum activities for which it was compulsory for every student. There was few number of Muslims for which they have to be converted to Islam, first as the means of being admitted to missionary schools. During the period of independence government did a little to change the school administration system there were number of pigs and pig home in some of business school for which Muslim had to take care of them daily, During the nationalism period in many of missionary schools, government took first the ownership of the schools but still the administrators of these schools remained in their position. Since colonial education was religious bases majority of these schools administrators were educated and practical Christian, though the government preached unity, and non-religious government, but Muslim students in government schools faced a lot of challenges daily. Just to mention them, a few of them were;

1. Muslim student’s had to take care of pigs and pig homes, for example in Ndanda secondary school,
2. Muslim students were not allowed to practice any prayer even Friday prayer since the time table was fixed full for the whole day,
3. Muslim, students were not allowed to wear headscarf “Hijab” instead they cover their body by long sleeves shirt, short skirts and their heads uncover.

As all of these grievances’ and many of others caused many conflicts between Muslim students and schools administration, for which Muslim students religious rights were denied many of these conflicts ended up by firing of Muslim students from schools as a result many of very few Muslim students who were admitted to schools lost their studies and cause a big gape the public employment between Muslims and Christians since Christians dominated almost all of the high position in the government and non-government positions.

Therefore there was a need to form a Muslims student’s organization which will demand their rights in education institutions in a country. At first their organization was based on institution level such as schools and universities, later on during the period of East African Muslim welfare society existence, this organization expanded to government regional level. But following the bar of East African Muslim welfare society (1963) regional Muslim students organization were weakened, since East African Muslim society was a guardian and region Muslim student’s organization used the East African Muslim welfare society’s offices. Then the organization turned again to the institution level, the most famous organization which remained strong was Muslim students association of university of Dar es salaam (MSAUD) which was even able to mobilize their own press.

Since the Muslim students rights were denied MSAUD had to try to speak for Muslim student’s rights national wide for which if lacked legal rights since it was registered under the University of Dar es salaam and it is a property of university of Dar es salaam. Many of school administrator’s refused to recognize MSAUD as the Muslim student’s speaker, hence there was a need to form a strong national Muslim student’s organization, in 1993 formed Tanzania Muslim students Association (TAMSA). In 2008 all regional Muslim students’ organization as well as institutions based Muslim students organization met at Ubungo Islamic high school in Dar es Salaam and made an attempts to register TAMSA but failed due to several challenges, one being of the similarity of organization name with that of Tanzania Medical Students Association, This created a need to change the name. In (2010) TAMSA region Amir’s and TAMSA head quarter executive committee met Zanzibar during annual general meeting to and agreed to admit youth as the members of the organization this transformed Tanzania Muslim students Association to Tanzania Muslim Students and Youth Association (TAMSYA) and it was officially registered.

OBJECTIVES:

• To propagate and enhance the delivery of the correct knowledge of Islam to students and society as a whole.
• To merge students and youth in the struggle against poverty, ignorance, disease and moral destructions.
• To increase awareness to Muslim students and youth and provide solutions to the current social problems.
• To develop Islamic brotherhood and cooperation with other Islamic organizations having such aims and goals.
• To supervise, defend and to speak up for the rights of Muslim students and youth in Tanzania.
• To operate and supervise development projects for social services and to own movable and immovable properties.
• To volunteer in other activities having the benefits for Muslim students and youth as well as the society at large.

MISION:

“To educate and support Students and Youth in order to empower them for community development so as to excel in high performance of results and service provision.”

VISION:

“To unite Students and Youth in order to alleviate poverty, ignorance, diseases and immorality so as to contribute significant change to Tanzania development”